UPDATE: Country Music Lyricists and the American Literary Canon (9/15/04; collection)

In an effort to gain broader recognition of country music as a literarygenre, we are developing a volume of essays examining country musiclyricists' contributions to the American literary tradition. Performersknown for their own work as well as their covers of others' songs wouldmake appropriate subjects for this project as long as their originalwork serves as primary focus for contributions. For example, an essayaddressing Johnny Cash's self-penned songs about love, prison, and/orfaith could be an ideal contribution to this project. We intend todevelop a historically inclusive volume. Genre-bending writers such asMary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, and LucindaWilliams can be included in this project, but essays about respectedicons such as Bob Wills, Tom T. Hall, Cindy Walker, and Roger Miller areencouraged. Although some figures are not in the list below because wehave tentatively accepted submissions on those subjects, we welcomeinquiries.

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We are interested in essays addressing the works of writers such as thefollowing:

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Bryant, Boudleaux & Felice

Carpenter, Mary Chapin

Cash, Johnny

Cash, Rosanne

Clark, Guy

Crowell, Rodney

Frizzell, Lefty

Goodman, Steve

Haggard, Merle

Hall, Tom T.

Harris, Emmylou

Howard, Harlan

Jackson, Alan

Jennings, Waylon

Keen, Robert Earl

Lovett, Lyle

McDill, Bob

Miller, Roger

Monroe, Bill

Parsons, Gram

Pierce, Webb

Rabbitt, Eddie

Robbins, Marty

Rodgers, Jimmie

Tillis, Mel

Van Zandt, Townes

Walker, Cindy

Whitley, Keith

Wills, Bob

Williams, Hank, Jr.

Williams, Lucinda

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Please send inquiries to Michael A. Cody and Thomas Alan Holmes, EastTennessee State University English Department, Box 70683, Johnson City,TN 37614; you may also contact us via e-mail: codym_at_etsu.edu andholmest_at_etsu.edu . We wish to have substantial proposals for essays bySeptember 15, 2004.